Birthday Suit: Learning to Love the Skin We’re In

Hey ya’ll!

Sorry I have been a bit off the grid lately, but if you have been sharing in my journey on Instagram you’ll know it is because I got the exciting opportunity to head down to Cabo and enjoy some much needed RnR for my birthday. The trip was nothing short of magical and included copious amounts of room service, horseback riding on the beach, falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore and waking up to the sun rising over the Sea of Cortez. Seriously…AH-mazing.

More to come on the trip soon, but today I am sharing my first shoot with Bikini.com as one of their newest brand ambassadors! I am seriously so excited about this because I have worked really hard over the past few years to get into shape and really shift gears into a healthier lifestyle, so being part of the #realbikinibabe team is a great way to celebrate another trip around the sun!

Body image is something I have honestly struggled with all my life. In fact, I am editing and re-posting this blog right now and talking about this very thing because I think its important to acknowledge insecurities, because that is really the only way to grow past them. In high school I will never forget when my coach said I was ‘bottom heavy’ in front of the entire track team…ouch. I never wore shorts, always jeans and at casting calls was constantly told what a ‘pretty face’ I had which was code for I was too big.

Then, two years ago I started boxing and it really awakened a side of me I never knew existed. I had always been into sports, but this was different. Focus, determination, and inner strength that had been lying dormant under years of depreciation began to surface and my confidence began to grow. As I peeled back the layers of self-loathing I learned to embrace and appreciate my strong legs and big booty and athletic frame. All in all, I have lost 30+ pounds and gained a new appreciation for my body.

I still have my moments, in fact – before this trip, I kind of fell off my half-marathon training and started eating like shit which made me question whether I was even ‘skinny’ enough to shoot this look. Then my girl Arta bitch-slapped me back into reality and helped me realize that it was the fact that I wasn’t taking care of myself, not how I looked that was the real issue. At the end of the day whether we are a size 0 or a size 20, it is about loving our bodies no matter what and treating them with the respect that they deserve that really matters.

That is one of the reasons I love Bikini.com – they aren’t just a brand they are a lifestyle and offer amazing workout videos, style guides and I love how you can shop their suits by body type. They have some of the CUTEST swimsuits like this uber-chic olive bikini by Zigilane, it was my go-to pick for this trip because the color goes great with a tan, the bottoms cover just enough to keep things from getting too cheeky and most importantly the clasp on the bikini top added extra insurance that it would actually stay put during any cliff diving adventures (don’t ask).

All in all I hope this post helps any of you who pick on yourselves because you don’t feel good/pretty/skinny enough and helps you to start learning to love the skin you are in, because you are beautiful just the way you are.